The present invention relates to an education system for engaging a student in a kinesthetic learning process. Specifically, the invention relates to an education system utilizing a wireless position tracker for continuously tracking and determining a student""s position during movement in a defined physical space.
Some learners benefit from education utilizing kinesthetic processes in that they learn better when the learning task involves movement that enables manipulation of objects. Such kinesthetic learners preferentially involve their whole bodies in their activities. For such individuals the educational experience is enhanced by use of educational activities that involve physical movement, such as whole-body movement. Even for students who do not learn best by kinesthetic methods, learning is often enhanced through multisensory experiences that combine body motion with traditional visual and auditory methods of delivering information.
In particular, children often learn most effectively when they have to actively xe2x80x9cgrapplexe2x80x9d with information and have their xe2x80x9chands onxe2x80x9d the materials. Indeed, many children learn best through direct experience and experimentation.
Cognitive research reiterates the significant value of children""s play to their cognitive and motor development. In such play children in essence learn effectively through observation and direct manipulation of their environments. It is expected that brain development is enhanced by simultaneously engaging different cognitive functions simultaneously. Such simultaneous engagement of different cognitive functions is particularly useful for learning and retaining educational material. For instance a student that reads material aloud engages both auditory and visual cognitive functions, and may be expected to retain the material better than if exposed to it only visually (through reading silently), or auditorially (through having the material read to him or her).
From the above it is seen that education or learning is enhanced by engaging multiple cognitive functions, including kinesthetic learning.
An interactive educational system includes a tracking system for determining changes in an overall physical location of a student, and a display for displaying cues for the student to engage in full-body motion and to engage in an interactive cognitive learning task. An educational method includes prompting a student to engage in an interactive cognitive learning task which involves full body motion, thereby enabling the student to reach the enhanced learning state which results from elevated metabolic rate, and synergistically engaging the student""s kinesthetic learning facilities.
According to an aspect of the invention, an educational method includes engaging a student in cognitive learning tasks while the student""s metabolic rate is elevated.
According to another aspect of the invention, an educational method includes monitoring a measure of the student""s metabolic rate while the student engages in cognitive learning tasks, and adjusting the learning tasks based on the metabolic rate.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, an educational system includes a tracking system for tracking movements of a student engaged in a cognitive learning task which involves full body motion.
According to a further aspect of the invention, an interactive educational system includes a display of a view of a virtual world which includes cognitive learning elements, and a tracking system for tracking movements of a student engaged in a cognitive learning task, movements of the student in a physical world causing manipulation of cognitive learning elements in the virtual world.
According to still further aspect of the invention, a method of educating includes prompting a person to engage in body core movement which elevates the person""s metabolic rate; and prompting the person to engage in a cognitive learning task while the person""s metabolic rate is elevated, wherein the prompting engage in a cognitive learning task includes displaying a view of a virtual space.
According to another aspect of the invention, an interactive education system includes a continuous tracking system for determining changes in an overall physical location of a person, in a defined physical space; and a computer operatively coupled to the tracking system for updating in real time a player virtual location in a virtual space corresponding to the physical location of the player in the physical space, and for updating a view of the virtual space, wherein the view includes cognitive learning material.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, an interactive education system includes means for elevating a person""s metabolic rate by prompting body core movement of the person; and means for engaging the person in a cognitive learning task while the person""s metabolic rate is elevated.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.